Thursday 25 June 2015 10:07, UK
Former England batsman Jonathan Trott says he made the decision to retire from Test cricket before playing his final match on the recent tour of the Caribbean.
The 34-year-old endured a difficult final series for England during spring, when he made fewer than 10 runs in five of the six innings he played against the West Indies.
Trott had hoped to rediscover his best Test form against the Windies following 18 months away from the international arena due to a stress-related illness.
But the Warwickshire player admits his mind was made up even before the third and final Test of the series in Bridgetown.
He even accepted that in the one good score he did make – 59 in the second Test in Grenada – he enjoyed plenty of good luck while at the crease.
Trott told the Daily Telegraph: "I just didn't feel good. My batting wasn't up to standard.
“Don't forget that I had a few inside edges that went for four (in the 59). I felt all right after the first innings, thinking maybe that's a start, but then I got nought in the second.
“I didn't feel I was playing well enough really. I just felt my game wasn't where it needed to be.
"I decided after Grenada (to retire), but I wanted to see the job through. I wanted to try my best and do as well as I could do (in the third)."
And the Cape Town-born player accepts that his decision to retire was a good one, following the success of England’s young guns during the recent series against New Zealand.
Trott was actually at Lord’s when England faced the Black Caps in the first Test last month, which confirmed to him that his international days were well and truly over.
He said: "I never planned on going to the first day at Lord's but I got the opportunity. It was great closure, actually.
"It was fantastic watching the guys do well. Joe Root got 90, Ben Stokes got 90 – close to 400 runs on the opening day. It was really good."
Despite the disappointing end to his Test career, Trott’s 52 matches still yielded an overall average of 44.08, which included nine centuries. In the ODI game he averaged 51.25 from 68 appearances.
